The Prophet Jesus (as) and Hazrat Mahdi will come this century

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Hazrat Mahdi (as) will Appear in Hijri 1400, in Other Words, in This Century

1. A mujaddid (reviver) will come in every century. The great mujaddid of the End Times who will come in Hijri 1400 is Hazrat Mahdi (as).

It is revealed in the hadiths handed down from our Prophet (saas), in the work known as the Sunan Abu Dawud by Abu Dawud, in the hadiths included in Imam Rabbani’s Maktubat (Letters) and the Risale-i Nur Collection by Said Nursi, the mujaddid of the Hijri 1300s and the greatest scholar and mujaddid of the last 1000 years, that a person will come to rid Islam of innovations that have entered it subsequently and who will be instrumental in reviving the moral values and virtue of Islam and the Sunnah of our Prophet (saas). Our Prophet (saas) has given a date of Hijri 1400 for the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as) and said that people would start collecting around him as of then. Said Nursi also said that Hazrat Mahdi (as) would come one century after Hijri 1300 and will eliminate the system of oppression that rules the world at that time.

According to Abu Hurairah’s account, the Messenger of Allah (saas) said: Allah will raise for this community AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY HUNDRED YEARS the one who will revive its religion for it. (Sunan Abu Dawud 5/100)

AT THE HEAD OF EACH CENTURY, ALLAH SENDS A MUJADDID among the scholars of this community who revives the Law of Allah [the essence of Qur’anic moral values and the Sunnah of our Prophet (saas)]. (Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, 1/520)

ONCE IN EVERY CENTURY, ALLAH SENDS A MUJADDID [SOMEONE WHO REVIVES RELIGION].(Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Barla Addendum, p. 119)

Bediuzzaman states that the mujaddid of the 1200s was Mawlana Khalid.

Allah sends someone to revive the faith AT THE BEGINNING OF EVERY CENTURY, Mawlana is the mujaddid of the year 1200, in other words, of the 12th century. (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Barla Addendum, p. 120)

Mawlana Khalid al-Baghdadi was born in Hijri 1193 (1779 AD) and died in Hijri 1242 (1827 AD). The great majority of Muslim scholars are agreed that this blessed individual is the mujaddid between the 12th and 13th centuries (Hijri calendar).

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi Is the Mujaddid of the Hijri 1300s

Immediately after saying that Mawlana Khalid is the mujaddid of Hijri 1200, Bediuzzaman Said Nursi then states quite explicitly that he and his works serve as the mujaddid exactly one century later, in Hijri 1300:

Exactly AFTER A CENTURY, the parts of the RISALE-I NUR APPEAR ALL AROUND AND SERVE TO THE VERY SAME PURPOSE… With the meaning fortified by the clear expression of the hadith, it is our conviction that, in terms of reviving the religion, the Risale-i Nur is IN THE POSITION OF A MUJADDID. (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Barla Addendum, p. 121)

It now occurs to mind that if each of the letters “mim” and “lam” bearing the gemination mark are counted as two, THE PEOPLE WHO WILL DISSOLVE THE OPPRESSIONS A CENTURY LATER MAY BE THE DISCIPLES OF HAZRAT MAHDI (AS).(Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Rays, The First Ray, p. 85)

[They] suppose[d] a fact that would occur IN THE FUTURE OF THE WORLD ONE THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED YEARS LATER to be close to their century. (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Words, Twenty-Fourth Word – Third Branch, Eight Principle)

The facts revealed in the address of Damascus that glance at the destiny of the Islamic world after the Hijri 1371… maybe not now but 30-40 years later, in order to fully equip science and, knowledge acquired through arts, science and skills, the goodness of civilization and those three forces, and to overcome the nine obstacles, He sent inclination for investigating the truth, moderation and love for human beings to the fronts of those nine foes. By Allah’s Will, He will demolish them AFTER HALF A CENTURY. (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, The Damascus Sermon, p. 25)

IN [13]71, THE SUN BEGAN TO RISE (al-Fajr as-Sadiq) or will begin to rise. Even if this is only the initial redness in the horizon (al-Fajr al-Kazib), IN 30-40 YEARS AL-FAJR AS-SADIQ WILL APPEAR. (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, The Damascus Sermon, p. 23)

1371 + 30 = 1401 = 1981

1371 + 40 = 1411 = 1991

It appears from this truth that; THIS BLESSED PERSON WHO WILL COME LATER WILL DISSEMINATE AND IMPLEMENT THE RISALE-I NUR AS A PROGRAM …(Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, The Ratifying Stamp of the Unseen, p. 9)

I believe I am A SERVANT OF THIS WONDROUS PERSON WHO WILL APPEAR IN THE FUTURE, A REAR-GUARD TO SET A BACKGROUND FOR HIM, and A PIONEERING SOLDIER OF THAT GREAT COMMANDER ... (Barla Addendum, p. 162)

IN THE END TIMES, THE TRUE LORDS OF THE BROAD SPHERE OF LIFE, IN OTHER WORDS HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) AND HIS FOLLOWERS, WILL COME WITH ALLAH’S LEAVE, WILL BROADEN THAT SPHERE, and THOSE SEEDS WILL FLOURISH. WE, ON THE OTHER HAND, SHALL WATCH FROM OUR TOMBS AND GIVE THANKS TO ALLAH. (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Kastamonu Addendum, p. 99)

It now occurs to mind that if each of the letters “mim” and “lam” bearing the gemination mark are counted as two, the peopleWHO WILL DISSOLVE THE OPPRESSIONS A CENTURY LATER MAY BE THE DISCIPLES OF HAZRAT MAHDI. (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Rays, First Ray, p. 85)

There are such intellectual trends at that time that even IF THAT PERSON [HAZRAT MAHDI (AS)] WHO IS TRULY AWAITED AND WILL COME IN A CENTURY’S TIME comes at that time… (Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Kastamonu Addendum, p. 57)

One hadith revealing that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come in Hijri 1400 has come down from our Prophet (saas) as follows:

People will gather around Hazrat Mahdi (as) in the year 1400. (Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 108)

Imam Rabbani reveals that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will appear “between the first and second millennium” following the death of our Prophet (saas):

It is expected that, AFTER 1000 YEARS, this secret administration will be renovated. It will be granted with superiority… This way, genuine virtue will emerge and cover the degradation… AND IT IS EXPECTED THAT HAZRAT MAHDI (AS), THE SUPPORTER, WILL COME. May Allah be pleased with him. (Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, vol. 1, p. 569)

The confirmation of the religious law, the renovation of people takes place IN THIS SECOND THOUSAND. The just witnesses of the truthfulness of this cause are THE EXISTENCE of the Prophet Jesus (as) and HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) IN THIS THOUSAND. (Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, vol. 1, p. 611)

Those among the nation of Allah’s Messenger (saas) are highly perfected in faith. It does not matter whether they are few in number, even a thousand years passes after the death of the Messenger of Allah (saas). THE COMING OF HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) AFTER 1000 YEARS SERVES THIS PURPOSE. The Messenger of Allah (saas), the last Messenger, gave the glad tidings of his coming. Even the Prophet Jesus (as) will come down after 1000 years. (Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, vol. 1, p. 440)

A thousand years after the death of our Prophet (saas), people enter the second millennium. According to Imam Rabbani, quoted above, Hazrat Mahdi (as) and the Prophet Jesus (as) will come during the time between the first millennium and the second. He expresses it quite explicitly that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will come in the second millennium.

Hazrat Mahdi (as) is the Great Mujaddid of the End Times who will appear in Hijri 1400. In the same way that Allah has sent a mujaddid at the start of every Hijri century to revive Islamic moral values and virtues and rid the religion off innovations that have entered it subsequently, so He will definitely send a guide, a holy person, in Hijri 1400, as well. This person, who will cause Muslims to forget the troubles, pains and oppression they have suffered for hundreds of years and who will bring peace, happiness, justice, good governance, love and brotherhood to all mankind, is Hazrat Mahdi (as). However, in contrast to the mujaddids who have appeared in other centuries, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be the Great Mahdi of the End Times and will intellectually destroy all systems based on oppression and false beliefs and philosophies at a time when the system of the antichrist is at its most depraved.

2. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not be recognized immediately after his appearance in Hijri 1400. It will take some 40 years for him to be fully recognized.

For a long time after Hazrat Mahdi (as) begins work after his appearance in the early Hijri 1400s, only a very few people will know that he is Hazrat Mahdi (as). Our Prophet (saas) received the prophethood at the age of 40, but very few people knew that he was a prophet at that time. The same thing applies to many prophets.

Bediuzzaman Said Nursi also says that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not be recognized when he first appears. He says that initially even Hazrat Mahdi (as) himself will be unaware that he is the Mahdi of the End Times. In this passage, he says that only a very few believers of deep faith can recognize the Prophet Jesus (as), Hazrat Mahdi (as) and the antichrist, whom he refers to as the personages of the End Times.

However, as we said, this world is the arena of trial. The door is opened to the reason, but the will is not taken from the hand. SO, WHEN THOSE INDIVIDUALS, and even the terrible antichrist, APPEAR, MANY PEOPLE AND EVEN HIMSELF WILL NOT KNOW TO START WITH THAT HE IS THE ANTICHRIST. THOSE INDIVIDUALS OF THE END OF TIME WILL BE KNOWN THROUGH THE INSIGHT AND THE LIGHT OF BELIEF.(Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, Words / Twenty-Fourth Word – Third Branch, p. 355)

The great scholar and mujaddid Sayyid Muhammad ibn Rasul al-Hussein al-Barzanji of Medina makes the following statement in his expanded work “Al-Isha’at ul Ishraat us Saa’at” (Portents of the Judgment Day), referring to Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami: “ALL THESE TRADITIONS ARE TRUE IN TERMS OF THEIR OCCURRENCE AND SOUNDNESS.” In other words, ALL THE DIFFERENT TIMINGS SET OUT IN THE HADITHS ARE TRUE, AND THESE TIMINGS REFER TO DIFFERENT PERIODS IN THE LIFE OF HAZRAT MAHDI (AS), WHO, BY ALLAH’S LEAVE, WILL HAVE A LONG LIFE, as reported by the Prophet (saas).

The following account is the statement on pages 185 and 186 of the Turkish edition of Sayyid al-Barzanji’s Portents of the Judgment Day and notes the different periods of service during Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) tenure:

Muhammad ibn Rasul al-Hussein al-Barzanji makes the following important statements:

First, the Prophet (saas) says much about his community, the Ahl al-Bayt. He has described how they will be rescued from all kinds of oppression and persecution. This is dependent on a justice that will be applied over a long period. Short times such as seven or nine years are insufficient.

Second, just like Dhu’l Qarnayn (as) and Solomon (as), Hazrat Mahdi (as) will rule the whole world. He will establish mosques and buildings in other countries, and a short time such as nine years will be inadequate for his intellectual struggle and other activities.

Third;, life spans will be extended in his time. THE PROLONGATION OF LIFE SPANS MEANS THAT HE WILL ALSO BE LONG-LIVED… Otherwise, the extension of life spans would be meaningless.

Fourth, he will make a four-year peace treaty with the people of Rum. Under that he will live in Constantinople for seven years. His going to and leaving there twice will of course take years. The same applies to his intellectual struggle against the Sufyan. Because as described above, the Sufyan will abrogate the treaty three years after swearing allegiance to him, after which he will have to struggle him on the level of ideas.

His spiritual conquest of India and other countries will naturally take many years. What I have described is also found in various traditions.

All these things show that the period of his sovereignty will last longer than nine years. That being the case, SEVEN YEARS ARE TOTALLY RESTRICTED TO HIS FULL RULE OVER ALL COUNTRIES, AND NINETEEN YEARS TO HIS INTELLECTUAL STRUGGLE AGAINST THE SUFYAN, HIS INTELLECTUAL DEFEAT OF HIM, HIS [SPIRITUAL AND INTELLECTUAL] CONQUEST OF COUNTRIES AND ALL PEOPLE COMING UNDER HIS COMMAND… (in other words, the time involved in this is a period of nineteen years…)

I have stated above: He will make nine years of peace with the Rum, his intellectual struggle against and victory over them will take approximately ten years. His entry into Sham, the Sufyan swearing allegiance to him, and then retracting that allegiance three years later, and his thus embarking on an intellectual struggle against him and the passage of a number of years thereafter will take up a total of twenty-four years…His entry into Mecca, his demolition of the intellectual system of the Amr of Mecca, and therefore HIS SPIRITUAL AND INTELLECTUAL CONQUEST OF ALL THE COUNTRIES OF THE HEJAZ WILL TAKE SOME FORTY YEARS… Then, his spiritual and intellectual conquest of all countries and the appearance of Hasheem of Khorasan will take no little time! … It is likely that he will then rule for nine years or less following the descent of the Prophet Jesus (as)… (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha’ah li-ashrat al-sa’ah, pp. 185-186)

As we have seen, the great Islamic scholar Muhammad Ibn Rasul al-Hussain al-Barzanji describes various periods during Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) time of service and says it will take this great mujaddid some 40 years to cause the moral values and virtues of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (saas) to rule the world. During that time, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be occupied with plots and conspiracies against him, and imprisonment, and there will be a period ofghaybah (absence, concealment). In addition, the hadiths say he will have a group of 313 followers, and he will sincerely work to bring them together and strengthen their faith. Hazrat Mahdi (as) will also go through a period of imprisonment, after which he will put an end to the captivity of Muslims and eliminate all the pain, suffering and oppression they face. He will also strive to establish the Qur’anic moral values among people and to set up the Turkish-Islamic Union. However, none of these activities will be completed in as short a time as 7 or 10 years, and each one will take a very long time.

Hazrat Mahdi (as) will also engage in construction work in countries across the world and erect buildings and masjids where Muslims can worship freely. However, this work will be accomplished over a much longer period of time than 9 years. On the other hand, he will be engaged in an intellectual struggle against the system of the Sufyan, and his spiritual campaign against the hypocrites who make that system up will last for many years. In fact, it will take the next 24 years. It will also take him a very long time to achieve the spiritual conquest of the countries of the world, in other words, to bring about the acceptance of the moral values and virtues of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of our Prophet (saas). Al-Barzanji says that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will strive for 40 years to bring about the global dominion of Islamic moral values as a result of these activities. This is significant evidence that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will certainly not be recognized the moment he appears in Hijri 1400 and that all these activites listed above will take a very long time, at least 40 years; in other words, 40, 50 or 60 years.

3. The fact that our Prophet (saas) has given various timings regarding Hazrat Mahdi (as) in the hadiths indicates that there will be various periods in Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) life, intellectual struggle and spiritual dominion based on the moral values of the Qur’an.

Terms in the hadith of our Prophet (saas) about the End Times, such as “Hazrat Mahdi (as) will live 14 years,” “Hazrat Mahdi (as) will have a life of 30 years” and “Hazrat Mahdi (as) will remain on Earth for 40 years …” refers to various phases in Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) life, intellectual struggle and spiritual dominion based on the moral values of the Qur’an.

Much detailed information about Hazrat Mahdi (as) is provided in the hadiths and important stages in his life are suggested.

For example, the hadiths describe how Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be subjected to terrible oppression, assaults and slanders before he emerges openly. Times of imprisonment, detention and oppression will represent one very important stage in his life. Like Hazrat Mahdi (as), his followers will also be persecuted by the unbelievers of the time and be put through severe tests. The intellectual struggle of Hazrat Mahdi (as) and his followers against the unbelievers, the hypocrites of the End Times, various scholars of religious law and the antichrist of the End Times is another of these time frames. It is also revealed in the hadiths that the number of Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) followers will be 313. That number gives a good idea that it will take some time for that many people to gather around Hazrat Mahdi (as), to be educated and to grow in faith. All these developments show that there will be a long term between Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) appearance and assumption of spiritual sovereignty, and that there will be various phases within it.

These periods in Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) term of duty are narrated from our Prophet (saas) as follows:

The Messenger of Allah (saas) said: “Hazrat Mahdi (as) will emerge from my community, and HE WILL RULE FOR 5 OR 9 YEARS. A man will come to him and say: O Mahdi! Give me goods. And he will spread out his robe and fill it with as much as he can carry.” (Mar’i Ibn Yusuf Ibn Abi baqr Ibn Ahmet Ibn Yusuf al-Maqdi’si “Feraidu Fawaidi’l Fiqr Fi’l Imam Al-Mahdi Al-Muntazar”)

… He will divide goods and act according to the Sunnah of the Prophet, he will reveal Islam to neighboring countries andREMAIN FOR 7 YEARS, after which he will die and Muslims will perform his funeral prayer. (Ali Ibn Sultan Muhammad al-Qaari al-Harawi al-Hanafi, Risalat Mashrab al Vardi fi Mazhabi ‘l Mahdi)

According to al-Tabarani and Abu Nuaym’s accounts from Abu Said Al-Khudri; the Messenger of Allah (saas) said: “A man will appear from my Ahl al-Bayt. He will speak of my Sunnah. Allah will send rain from the sky to serve him. The earth will give forth its bounty (by Allah’s command). He will fill a world that was previously full of oppression and injustice with truth and justice instead. HE WILL APPLY THAT SUNNAH FOR 7 YEARS.” (Mar’i Ibn Yusuf Ibn Abi baqr Ibn Ahmet Ibn Yusuf al-Maqdi’si “Feraidu Fawaidi’l Fiqr Fi’l Imam Al-Mahdi Al-Muntazar”)

According to an account from Hazrat Ali; Hazrat Mahdi (as) will eliminate all subsequent innovations from the faith and restore all the Sunnah. He will (spiritually) conquer Constantinople, China and Mount Daylam. HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) WILL REMAIN IN THIS STATE FOR 7 YEARS. Each year of his will be like 10 of yours. (Al-Uqayli, An-Najmu’s-saqib fi Bayan Anna’l Mahdi min Awladi Ali b. Abu Talib Ale’t-Tamam ve’l Qamal)

It appears from the hadiths that Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) intellectual and spiritual dominion over all nations will take a very long time. As Islamic scholars have also stated, it will take time for countries to be spiritually and intellectually conquered by Hazrat Mahdi (as). Al-Barzanji even said that it would take Hazrat Mahdi (as) 40 years to bring about the dominion of Islamic moral values. This shows that it will take at least 40 years after his appearance for people to recognize Hazrat Mahdi (as).

… HIS SPIRITUAL AND INTELLECTUAL CONQUEST OF ALL THE COUNTRIES OF THE HEJAZ WILL TAKE SOME FORTY YEARS…(Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha’ah li-ashrat al-sa’ah, p. 186)

4. Saying that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will appear at the beginning of the Hijri 1400s does not mean that he will be recognized as soon as he appears.

Since we are now in Hijri 1430, 30 years have passed since the Hijri date provided by our Prophet (saas). In other words, as al-Barzanji describes, there are at least another 10 years until Hazrat Mahdi (as) is recognized and until his spiritual and intellectual dominion over the world.

The way that some people suggest, on the basis of no reliable evidence and no hadiths, that “Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be immediately recognized as of Hijri 1400, and everyone will at once know that he is Hazrat Mahdi (as)” is a complete contravention of the ideas of Sunni scholars. Anyone making such a claim is opposing the belief of the Ahl al-Sunnah. That is because, for instance, the great Sunni scholar Al-Barzanji made this statement about the time needed for Hazrat Mahdi (as) to be recognized following his appearance:

(The following extract is from page 301 of the 10th Turkish edition of Muhammad Ibn Rasul al-Hussain al-Barzanji’s Al-Isha’ah li-ashrat al-sa’ah translated into Turkish by Naim Erdogan.)

FOUR, FIVE OR EVEN TEN YEARS ARE REGARDED AS THE FIRST YEARS OF THE CENTURY. ACCORDINGLY, THAT HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) WILL APPEAR SEVEN, NINE OR THIRTY YEARS BEFORE THE HUNDREDTH YEAR IS NO OBSTACLE TO HIS COMING AT THE BEGINNING OF THE CENTURY… THE SAME APPLIES IF HIS APPEARANCE IS AFTER THAT PERIOD. (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha’ah li-ashrat al-sa’ah, p. 301)

Al-Barzanji thus states that even 4, 5 or 10 years after the year 1400 according to the Islamic calendar can be accepted as the early 1400s. Indeed, as Imam Rabbani says;

AT THE HEAD OF EACH CENTURY, ALLAH SENDS A MUJADDID among the scholars of this community who revives the Law of Allah [the essence of Qur’anic moral values and the Sunnah of our Prophet (saas)]. (Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, 1/520)

That HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) WILL BE RECOGNIZED 7, 9 OR EVEN 30 YEARS BEFORE OR AFTER THE HIJRI YEAR 1400 is no obstacle to his coming in the year 1400. Even if these situations do prevail Hazrat Mahdi (as) will still have emerged at the beginning of Hijri 1400.

This statement by Al-Barzanji, a reliable Sunni scholar, is an exceedingly significant reply to those to seek to cover up, shroud or conceal the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) by making irrational and illogical claims along the lines of “Since Hazrat Mahdi (as) was not immediately identified by people in Hijri 1400, he has not appeared, and although 30 years have passed since Hijri 1400 the great portents have still not come about, meaning that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not be coming in this century but will happen in some other century…” Even if Hazrat Mahdi (as) appears before Hijri 1400 or 7, 9 or 30 years after it, he is still the awaited Great Mahdi (as). By Allah’s leave, none of these cases can alter this truth revealed in trustworthy hadiths of our Prophet (saas).

5. Our Prophet (saas) revealed that the life span of the world was 7000 years

It is made clear in works by great and reliable Sunni scholars, such as the Sunan Abu Dawud and the Letters of Imam Rabbani, that every 100 years Allah sends a person to cleanse the moral values of the religion and purge them of subsequent innovations. The timing of the appearance of Hazrat Mahdi (as), whose coming in the End Times is foretold in hadiths handed down from our Prophet (saas), is given as Hijri 1400. Within a certain time frame inside this 100-year period the moral values of Islam will rule the whole world and the system of the antichrist that opposes them will be entirely eliminated. However, following this rise, which will last for approximately 100 years, the world will enter a new phase of degeneration, coinciding with the Hijri 1500s. In one hadith narrated by many scholars, including Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, a hadith scholar, our Prophet (saas) provides important information about the beginning of human history by saying that 5600 years of the life span of the world had passed by his day:

Many other hadiths contain clear references to the total life span of the world being 7000 years:

Anas Ibn Malik narrates that the Messenger of Allah (saas) said: THE LIFE SPAN OF THE WORLD IS SEVEN DAYS IN THE DAYS OF THE HEREAFTER. Almighty Allah has said: ONE DAY IN THE SIGHT OF YOUR LORD IS LIKE A THOUSAND OF YOUR YEARS. ALLAH WILL ASCRIBE THE EQUIVALENT OF GOOD DEEDS OF THE SEVEN THOUSAND YEARS OF THE AGE OF THIS WORLD to the one who meets the need of any of his brothers in the faith on the path of Allah as if he spends his days in fasting and his nights in worship. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 88)

Narrated from Daqqaq Ibn Zaid Al-Juhani: I told the Messenger of Allah (saas) of a dream I had had. In that dream the Messenger of Allah (saas) was at the top step of a seven-stepped pulpit. He said: THE SEVEN-STEPPED PULPIT YOU SEE IS THE SEVEN THOUSAND YEARS OF AGE OF THIS WORLD. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 89)

According to these hadiths, which appear in the book Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman by Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, one of the greatest Sunni scholars, our Prophet (saas) put the life span of the world at 7000 years. Hadiths putting the life span of the world at 7000 years also appear in the works of many other Sunni scholars, including Al-Muttaqi’s Kanz al-Ummal, hadith no. 16459, Muhammad Tahir Ibn Ali al-Hindi‘s Tadhkirat al-Mawduat, I/223, Imam Sakhawi’s al-Maqasid al-Hasana (transmitted by Daylami), I/693, hadith no. 1243, Al-Munawi’s Fayz al-Qadir, III/547, hadith no. 4278 (transmitted by Daylami) and Bayazid Bistami’s Miftah al-Jifr. This is clear evidence that Sunni scholars are in complete agreement on the subject.

Said Nursi, the mujaddid of the Hijri 1300s and the greatest one of the last millennium, cited the Hijri 1500s as the period of dominion of Islamic moral values. He stated that Muslims would enjoy a time of clear and explicit victory up until then. He said that in the years after that, the rise of the moral values of Islam would come to an end and that the Last Day would break for the unbelievers in the Hijri year 1545. (Allah knows the truth.)

“A group from my community will remain in truth until Allah’s command [the Judgment Day].”

The abjad calculation of the clause “A group from my community…” which is 1542 (2117) implies its [the community’s] time of survival. The abjad calculation of the clause “will remain in truth” (when the gemination mark is counted) gives 1506 (2082); it indicates until that date it will continue its work of enlightenment evidently and obviously, and maybe victoriously; then until 1542 (2117) in secrecy and defeat. The abjad calculation of the clause “until Allah’s command” (when the gemination mark is counted) suggests that THE JUDGMENT DAY WILL BEFALL the unbeliever in 1545 (2120).(Kastamonu Addendum, p. 33)

In several trustworthy hadiths our Prophet (saas) has revealed that even if the world had only one day of life remaining, Allah would prolong that day and cause Hazrat Mahdi (as) to appear. This is an exceedingly important statement. That is because the people who reject the hadiths, saying that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not appear in Hijri 1400, despite our Prophet’s (saas) accounts, are obviously also ignoring these other hadiths. The fact is, through these hadiths, the Prophet (saas) is explicitly stating how important the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as), and the global dominion of Islamic moral values in which he will be instrumental, are for mankind.

It is narrated from Abdullah (ra)that: the Messenger of Allah (saas) said: A person from the Ahl al-Bayt whose name is compatible with mine will assume the leadership … IF THERE WERE ONLY ONE DAY LEFT FOR THIS WORLD, ALLAH WOULD LENGTHEN IT UNTIL HE [HAZRAT MAHDI (AS)] TOOK POWER.(Tirmidhi, 4/92)

According to Hazrat Ali, the Messenger of Allah (saas) said: IF THERE WERE ONLY ONE DAY LEFT FOR THE WORLD, THAT DAY WOULD BE LENGTHENED UNTIL A MAN FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE OF MY HOUSEHOLD WAS SENT. (Sunan Abu Dawud, 5/92)

Ibn Majah and Abu Naim relate an account from Abu Huraira, saying that the Prophet (saas) said: IF ONLY ONE DAY REMAINS TO THE WORLD ALLAH WILL PROLONG THAT DAY AND MAKE ONE FROM MY AHL AL-BAYT LORD. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, 10; Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadharr, 27; Ash-Sharani, Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 437)

For that reason, these people who make illogical and fantastical statements, not based on the hadiths, that the first quarter of Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) appearance has gone by, for which reason he will be coming in some other century, should reflect on and consider the hadiths once again.

The words of our Prophet (saas), who says that Allah “will prolong that day if only one day remains to the world and cause Hazrat Mahdi (as) to appear,” suggest that if necessary, time will be extended for Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) coming. That means that the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not be moved from this century and deferred to some other – as these people maintain – and that, on the contrary, Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) coming is still to be anticipated in the Hijri 1400s. This is very important, as it covers the period right up to the last day of Hijri 1499.

If Allah does extend the time frame for the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) that will be up until the Hijri 1500s, and Hazrat Mahdi (as) will continue his work of spreading the moral values and virtues of Islam and the Sunnah of our Prophet (saas) in a variety of ways. But our Prophet (saas) says that after the extension in question, which will not exceed the 7000-year life span of the world, the influence of Islamic moral values over the world will begin to decline, not suddenly, but gradually and in such a way as not to eliminate all possibility of doubt. As Bediuzzaman Said Nursi says, the Day of Judgment that will take place at the end of the 7000-year life span of the world will, by Allah’s leave, may be expected as of the Hijri 1500s. (Allah knows the truth).

The great Sunni scholar Al-Barzanji states that the life span of the world will not exceed Hijri 1600, in other words, that by Allah’s leave The Judgment Day will take place some time in the 1500s. (Allah knows the truth.)

THE LIFE OF THIS COMMUNITY WILL EXCEED 1000 YEARS, YET BE LIMITED TO 1500 YEARS…(Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha’ah li-ashrat al-sa’ah, p. 299)

As-Suyuti’s statement made on the basis of the hadith handed down from our Prophet (saas) is as follows:

In that case, if the people we have been addressing throughout this discussion say that they have no doubts concerning Sunni belief and are totally loyal to the belief of Ahl al-Sunnah, and that even the teachers who taught them have issued explicit declarations on the subject, then they must also agree with the views that these two great and lofty Sunni scholars have expressed in their own works. They must not distract Muslims with statements that totally contradict the common opinion of these great scholars and are based on no reliable hadiths at all. They should evaluate and then notify their opinions on the age we are living in by agreeing with the profound views, research and scholarship of As-Suyuti and Al-Barzanji, who occupy such an important place among Sunni scholars, and in the light of trustworthy hadiths transmitted from the Prophet (saas).

What must not be forgotten that on such issues Muslims must attach absolute credence to hadiths from our Prophet (saas) that Sunni scholars unanimously regard as completely trustworthy. Muslims would attach no credence to the words of someone who produces an irrational logic, based on no verses or hadiths, to defer the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) to some other century and explicitly reject all the hadiths that speak of “the appearance of an individual from among the Muslims at the beginning of every century who will rid the religion of subsequent innovations” that scholars such as Imam Rabbani, Abu Dawud, As-Suyuti, Al-Barzanji and Said Nursi unanimously accept.

6. The signs of the End Times taking place one after the other are significant portents of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as)

The signs of the End Times that have taken place and are taking place one after the other, “like the beads of a rosary,” in the words of the hadiths, some of which are cited below, completely refute some people’s claims that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be coming in another century.

The Messenger of Allah (saas) said: “… let them expect portents taking place one after the other like the beads of a necklace whose string has snapped.” (Abu Hurairah (ra), Tirmidhi)

The signs of the Last Day will follow one another. Like beads strung out one behind the other. (Ahmad Diya ad-Din al-Kamushkhanawi, Ramuz al-Ahadith, 277/6; Al Jami As Sagir, 3/167)

The way these hadiths concerning the End Times are visibly taking place, in all their details, in the Hijri 1400s in which we are living, shows that Hazrat Mahdi (as) awaited in the End Times, has appeared. (Allah knows the truth.)

The portents of the End Times constitute a single whole, and their coming about tells us that we are living in the End Times that our Prophet (saas) spoke of, and also of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) awaited with such hope and excitement by all Muslims. For that reason, all of the signs, known as major and minor signs, are exceedingly important for Muslims. Seeing any of these signs taking place reinforces Muslims’ hopes and increases their excitement and fervor many times over.

All the signs that have been taking place for the last 30 years are far too important to be ignored. However, since it is impossible and illogical for all these portents to take place simultaneously or collectively in a day or a week, it will take months, years or decades for them all to come about. This lengthy period in which the portents will take place one after the other shows that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not be recognized immediately after his appearance, and that these signs, that prove we are in the End Times, have to take place in order for him to be recognized.

• Just as described by our Prophet (saas), the waters of the River Euphrates were stopped by a dam built in Hijri 1400.

Soon the river Euphrates will uncover the treasure (the mountain) of gold (under it), so whoever will be present at that time should not take anything of it. (Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 9, Book 88, 235;Sahih Muslim, Book 41, 6921)

The first stopping of the waters is sufficient for us to regard the hadith as having taken place. In terms of the hadith, subsequent stopping of the waters is irrelevant. In that case, a repetition of the phenomenon in a later century is irrelevant as regards the taking place of the hadith because the waters of the Euphrates were first stopped in Hijri 1400.

• Our Prophet (saas) also spoke of the invasion of Afghanistan:

Pity poor Taliqan [a region in Afghanistan]. At that place are treasures of Allah. These are not of gold and silver, but consist of people who have recognized Allah as they should have. They are Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) followers. (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 59)

This hadith also came true when the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979 (Hijri 1400). Even if Afghanistan were also to be invaded in another century, it is the first invasion in 1979 that fulfils the hadith.

There are two signs for Hazrat Mahdi (as)… The first one is the lunar eclipse on the first night of Ramadan, and the second is the solar eclipse in the middle of this month.(Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 49)

There will be two solar eclipses in Ramadan before Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) advent.(Ash-Sharani, Mukhtasar Tazkirah al-Qurtubi, p. 440)

… The solar eclipse in the middle of the fasting month, and the lunar eclipse at the end… (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 37)

There will be two lunar eclipses in Ramadan before Hazrat Mahdi (as) emerges.(Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha’ah li-ashrat al-sa’ah, p. 200)

Eclipses of the Sun and Moon took place during the month of Ramadan in the Hijri 1400, in 1981 and 1982. The fact this happened two years in succession shows that the hadith has been fulfilled. A similar phenomenon may also take place in subsequent centuries, but that is inapplicable in terms of the hadith.

• Halley’s Comet, which passes by the Earth once every 76 years, also passed by in 1986 (Hijri 1406), in complete agreement with the description given by our Prophet (saas) in the hadith:

A comet will be appearing in the East, giving out illumination before he arrives. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 53)

• One hadith of our Prophet’s (saas) says:

… A FIRE WILL CERTAINLY APPEAR FROM AZERBAIJAN. And nothing will be able to stand in its way. Stay in your homes when this happens. … (Sheikh Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Numani, al-Ghaybah al-Numani, p. 311)

This hadith also came true as described by the Prophet (saas) with the invasion of the Azeri territory of Nagorno-Karabagh by Armenians in 1988. No subsequent invasion of Azeri territory will be of any significance in terms of the hadith.

• One hadith of the Prophet (saas) narrated by Imam Rabbani refers to a two-tailed star resembling a horn, and says that this is also a portent of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as).

When Abbasi Malik arrives at Khorasan, one of the signs of the coming of the promised Mahdi (as), A DOUBLE-TOOTHED LIGHT SHEDDING HORN WILL APPEAR IN THE EAST. (Imam Rabbani, Letters of Rabbani, 381st Letter, p. 1184)

The two-tailed comet Lulin, which completely matches the above description, came closest to the earth on 24 February, 2009. This comet, which is estimated to pass by next in thousands of years’ of time, is in total agreement with the descriptions in the hadith. The date of its passage equates to Hijri 1430.

• A huge massacre took place at the Kaaba during the Hajj in 1979 (Hijri 1 Muharram, 1400). The incident took place on the first day of the Hijri year 1400. Thirty people lost their lives. In one hadith the Prophet (saas) says:

THE YEAR IN WHICH HE [HAZRAT MAHDI (AS)] WILL EMERGE, people will perform hajj together and gather without an amr. The Hajjis will be looted and there will be a battle at Mina in which many will be slain and blood will flow until it runs over the Jamra al-‘Aqaba. (Al-Barzanji, Al-Isha’ah li-ashrat al-sa’ah, p. 168-169)

He refers to an important event at the Kaaba “in the year in which Hazrat Mahdi (as) will emerge.” This expression is highly significant because this points to 1979 as year of Hazrat Mahdi’s (as) appearance. Seven years after this incident that took place in 1979, another even bloodier event occurred. This time, 402 people were killed. But in contrast to the first incident, the second took place alongside the Kaaba rather than inside it. These two incidents took place in complete agreement with the “attack on the Kaaba and bloodshed in the Kaaba” described in the hadith as portents of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as). As we have seen, this incident, in complete harmony with the details given in the hadith, has already taken place and it is irrational and illogical to expect such an event to occur again in another century.

In addition, since the Hijri year 1400 has already come and gone, it is impossible for certain people to base their claim that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will appear in another century on this hadith.

• Another of the portents of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) is a major economic crisis in the End Times. The hadith speaks of a time of stagnation during which people will complain of such economic difficulties as “low earnings, stagnation in the markets, and business going badly.”

An economic crisis is taking place across the world in which major economies such as America, China and Germany have suffered severe damage and which has caused world-famous companies, banks and industries to collapse. World Bank President Robert Zoellick says of this economic crisis:

“There is a widespread recognition that THE WORLD FACES AN UNPRECEDENTED ECONOMIC CRISIS, poor people could suffer the most, and that we must continue to act in real time to prevent a human catastrophe.”1
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1 http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK: 22157110~pagePK:64257043~piPK:437376~theSitePK:4607,00.html

He thus set out the true scale of the current crisis. As is clear from that statement, this important hadith has also been fulfilled in the form of this economic crisis, another of the portents of the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as) in the End Times.

Hundreds more such trustworthy hadiths have been taking place one after the other since the Hijri year 1400.

The way that all these portents have taken place one after the other in the same century is exceedingly significant because these hadiths prove both that we are in the End Times and also that Hazrat Mahdi (as), awaited with great fervor by all Muslims, has made his appearance. (Allah knows the truth.) The fact these astonishing events are taking place one after the other is sufficient for Muslims to know they are in the End Times and to anticipate the coming of Hazrat Mahdi (as). All the awaited portents, with no exceptions, have taken place in the Hijri 1400s, and it is meaningless and illogical to expect them to take place again in another century.

7. It is revealed in verses of the Qur’an and hadiths that the moral values and virtues of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (saas) will rule the world.

Allah reveals in the Noble Qur’an that He will cause the moral values of the Qur’an to rule the world, that He will bestow power, dominion, strength and superiority on His true servants, that after a life full of troubles and oppression Muslims will be granted ease:

Allah has promised those of you who believe and do right actions that He will make them successors in the land as He made those before them successors, and will firmly establish for them their religion with which He is pleased and give them, in place of their fear, security. … (Surat an-Nur, 55)

[Their Lord revealed to them,] “We will leave you the land to live in after them. That is the reward of those who fear My station and fear My threat.” They asked for Allah’s victory, and every obdurate tyrant failed. (Surah Ibrahim, 14-15)

When Allah’s help and victory have arrived and you have seen people entering Allah’s religion in droves, then glorify your Lord’s praise and ask His forgiveness. He is the Ever-Returning. (Surat an-Nasr, 1-3)

In the hadiths transmitted from the Prophet (saas), we are told that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will appear in Hijri 1400 and will cause the moral values of Islam to rule the world. There will be a glorious climate in his day, in which peace, calm, justice, sovereignty, plenty, well-being and happiness prevail across the world. Some of the hadiths transmitted from our Prophet (saas) concerning the time of Hazrat Mahdi (as) read as follows:

PEOPLE WILL GATHER AROUND HAZRAT MAHDI (AS) IN THE YEAR 1400.(Risalat al-Khuruj al-Mahdi, p. 108)

Miqdad ibn al-Aswad says: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saas) say, “there will be nowhere that Islam has not entered, not a house made out of mud or a tent (in the desert).”(Abu Ali Fadal ibn Hassan ibn al-Fadl al-Tabarsi, Majma’ al-Bayan fee Tafsir al-Qur’an, from the commentary on verse 33 of Surat at-Tawba)

… He [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] will possess the Earth and fill it with justice, just as it has been filled with oppression and corruption. So whoever reaches him ought to come and join him, even if crawling on the snow, since he is Hazrat Mahdi (as). (Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 14)

Below is the short biography of the great Sunni scholar Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rasul al-Barzanji:

… He [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] will fill the world that is full of oppression and evils with justice and mercy.(Sunan Abu Dawud and Tirmidhi)

His [Hazrat Mahdi’s (as)] justice will cover all places and he will rule among people with the Sunnah of the Prophet (saas). (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 20)

… He will fill the earth with truth and justice, just as it is now filled with cruelty and torture.(Sunan Abu Dawud, 5/93)

His [Hazrat Mahdi’s (as)] justice will be as such that he will not wake a sleeping person or even shed one drop of blood.(Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 29)

Like the cup fills with water, so will earth fill with peace. There will be no enmity left between any people. All hostility, fighting, and envy will disappear … (Sahih Muslim, 1/136)

Once the earth is full of cruelty and enmity, one [Hazrat Mahdi (as)] from my Ahl al-Bayt will emerge. He will fill the earth with justice, just as it was previously filled with oppression and enmity.(Al-Muttaqi al-Hindi, Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir az-Zaman, p. 11)

… Security will permeate all over earth and even a few women will be able to fulfill their hajj without the company of men.(Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 47)

Hazrat Mahdi (as) will emerge from my community. Almighty Allah will send him to make people rich. My community will be blessed in that time, animals will live in plenty and the Earth will give forth many goods, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will justly distribute many, many goods among people. (Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, Al-Qawl al-Mukhtasar fi `Alamat al-Mahdi al-Muntadhar, p. 23)

… Due to the prevailing abundance none will accept them.(Sunan Ibn Majah, 10/340)

If, however, there is still anyone who denies that the moral values of Islam will rule the world in this century, despite the verses of the Qur’an and the hadiths of our Prophet (saas) in which Allah reveals His promise, then that person has to prove his logic, which is the reason for his denial, to Muslims using verses and trustworthy hadiths in the same way. He would have to explain to Muslims why Hazrat Mahdi (as) will not be instrumental in the global dominion of Islamic moral values in this century and why they should abandon any such hopes, using clear evidence, and an accessible and uncomplicated language, as well as the trustworthy hadiths narrated from the Prophet (saas).

But if he says; “Islamic moral values will prevail this century” then he must also say “There must be someone who will cause the moral values of Islam to rule the world, and that is the Great Mahdi (as) of the End Times who will appear in Hijri 1400.”

There is no doubt that, as Allah foretells in His verses and as the Prophet (saas) explicitly states in the hadiths, Hazrat Mahdi (as) will be instrumental in the rule of Islamic moral values, by Allah’s leave. No matter how much some people with evil intentions may seek to conceal, cover up or prevent this, their devilish efforts will serve no purpose. Nobody will ever be able to interfere with the law of Allah, and in the same way that a saintly figure, a guide, came in previous centuries to purge the religion of subsequent innovations, so Allah had given that duty to Hazrat Mahdi (as) in this century and, by His leave, he will perform this great task of the End Times.

THEY DESIRE TO EXTINGUISH ALLAH’S LIGHT WITH THEIR MOUTHS. BUT ALLAH REFUSES TO DO OTHER THAN PERFECT HIS LIGHT, EVEN THOUGH THE UNBELIEVERS DETEST IT. (SURAT AT-TAWBA, 32)